Brazil’s stadiums cause readiness worries

AP, SAO PAULO, Brazil

With only three months to go before the Confederations Cup begins in Brazil, there are signs that the stadiums may not be ready for the World Cup test event.

The deadline for the completion of one venue has been delayed again last week. The few stadiums opened have revealed problems, including a faulty pitch, while the recent threat of a workers’ strike at Maracana Stadium is also causing concern.

Local organizers have guaranteed that the country will be ready, but only two of the six stadiums were finalized by December, as originally expected by FIFA. The recent glitches raise doubts about whether they will be ready by the new deadline established by soccer’s governing body.

“We are certainly on a very tight schedule with a few of the stadia,” FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke wrote in his regular online column. “We trust in the commitment made by the federal government, and the governors and mayors responsible, that they will fulfill the guarantees they provided.”

The Brazilian sports ministry said it has “full confidence” in those responsible for the stadiums, saying the venues would all be ready by the established deadlines — April 15 for the ones used in the Confederations Cup and by the end of the year for the other six needed just for the World Cup.

“The construction work is progressing every day and there is no reason for concern,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Arena Fonte Nova in the city of Salvador would have been the third venue completed, but local authorities said on Friday that constructors were unable to finish it on Thursday as scheduled for its opening on March 29.

The stadium is now to be officially opened on April 7, with organizers saying they need the extra time to conduct operational tests and make final adjustments, including to the pitch, despite being 95 percent completed by the end of January.

“In March there will be a transition phase to start testing all the equipment, keeping pace with the timetable established for the upcoming international events it will host,” the Bahia state government said in a statement.

The 50,000-capacity Fonte Nova is to host three Confederations Cup matches, including between Brazil and Italy on June 22. It is also scheduled to host six World Cup matches in 2014.

FIFA usually wants venues ready at least six months before events, but it was forced to make an exception because of delays in construction.

Valcke, who will be in Brazil next week to inspect some of the venues, said the country will be entering “the final lap of preparations” when the 100-day mark to the tournament’s opener is reached next week.

“Although some of the stadiums are still in the final construction phase, the local organizing committee is beginning to build up its team at the venues,” he said.

“This means that, together with the host cities, it is accelerating the process of preparing the stage to welcome the teams, fans and officials this June,” Valcke added.

Only the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte and the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza were delivered in December.

The Confederations Cup is to be played in Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and Recife. The stadium in Brasilia, which is scheduled to host the Confederations Cup opener on June 15, is not ready yet, but work is progressing according to plan.